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Why Oasis Management's Seth Fischer traveled across the world to do 10-minute pitches at 3 conferences in 16 days
Why Oasis Management's Seth Fischer traveled across the world to do 10-minute pitches at 3 conferences in 16 days

Business Insider

time6 hours ago

  • Business
  • Business Insider

Why Oasis Management's Seth Fischer traveled across the world to do 10-minute pitches at 3 conferences in 16 days

There are road warriors, and then there's Seth Fischer. The founder of Oasis Management, a Hong Kong-based hedge fund, Fischer was at the dais at the Sohn conference's flagship New York event on May 14, pitching Japanese electronics manufacturer Kyocera. Two weeks later, the Israel Defense Forces veteran was in Canada at Sohn's inaugural Montreal event, where he presented on Round One, a Japanese arcade chain that has expanded to the US. Friday, he was back home in Hong Kong — and speaking from the Sohn podium about Round One again, calling the company's CEO, Masahiko Sugino, a wizard. In between all the presentations, he also visited Switzerland and Israel, he told Business Insider in an email. He said he's happy to help the Sohn Foundation, which focuses on childhood cancer research and prevention and is named after Ira Sohn, a young finance professional who died from cancer at the age of 29. The conference has been a staple in the investment management industry's calendar for decades, with Greenlight founder David Einhorn, Point72 CEO Steve Cohen, and D1 Capital boss Dan Sundheim among the big names who have previously spoken. Many who speak at the event pitch an investment idea, often a stock, in 10 minutes or less. The Sohn Foundation in Hong Kong works with the Karen Leung Foundation, which was started in honor of Fischer's former colleague, who died of cancer in 2012. Fischer is a cofounder of the Karen Leung Foundation. "We think it's a great cause, so really just happy to help. We're currently closed to new investors, so this is not a marketing trip," said Fischer, who declined to share the firm's current assets under management. He is equally passionate about the companies he pitched and Japanese equities in general. He wrote that corporate governance adoption should be a boon for the Asian nation's stocks. "Value is being unlocked by better management, ending related party transactions, enhancing margins, having accountability at the board level, and improving shareholder returns," said Fischer, who founded Oasis in 2002 after seven years at Glenn Dubin and Henry Swieca's Highbridge Capital. He said he gets adjusted to new time zones and cities by running — he logged miles in three different continents this past week — and by being "very serious" about sleeping on planes. "For fun, I'm running, reading, and listening to podcasts and Audible," he said. He just finished "Everything is Tuberculosis", John Green's latest book on the disease. "Maybe that doesn't make me sound like too fun of a guy, but it's been a very good listen."

Oasis says investors back its proposed board changes at Kao
Oasis says investors back its proposed board changes at Kao

Japan Times

time06-03-2025

  • Business
  • Japan Times

Oasis says investors back its proposed board changes at Kao

Activist fund Oasis Management has said there is huge support from other investors for its proposal to shake up the board of Japanese cosmetics and chemical company Kao. Oasis, which holds a 5.2% stake in Kao, has presented five candidates to become outside directors of the company as part of its campaign for faster growth. A showdown looms between Hong Kong-based Oasis and Kao on March 21, when the company's annual general meeting is scheduled. "We've heard an enormous amount of support for our proposals,' Chief Investment Officer Seth Fischer said in an interview in Tokyo. "We've heard from other shareholders about how hard it is to get in touch with management and have a meaningful dialog with them.' Kao rejected Oasis' proposals last month, saying all the candidates lack necessary credentials. Fischer has complained that Kao's CEO, Yoshihiro Hasebe, has met him only once, in a 45-minute meeting that Fischer described as "not substantial and lacking any real details.' Since Hasebe took over as CEO in 2021, Kao's profits declined for three straight years before rising for the first time last year. That recovery has helped its share prices post modest gains — roughly in line with the Topix index. While activist investors are having an increased impact on corporate Japan and its stock market, proposals from shareholders at AGMs are still rarely approved. Proposals that Oasis made to Kobayashi Pharmaceutical over outside directors and a health supplements scandal were rejected by shareholders last month despite Fischer's optimism. Still, Oasis has also had success, such as its victory in installing candidates on the board of Fujitec.

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